Sewing machine



May 19, 1925.

1,538,744 E. J. RAY I SEWING MACHINE inal Filed Auz. 20. 1 17 w? %/MWSZLJVMX Patented May 19, 1925'.

UNITED STATES EUGENE J. RAY, O-F'BEVERLY, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TOUNITED SHOE MA- CHINERY CORPORATION, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY,CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

snwrne MACHINE Continuation of application Serial No. 187,194, filedAugust 20, 1917. Patent No; 1,492,084, dated April 29, 1924. Thisapplication filed November 11, 1919. Serial No. 337,147.

To all wlaom z't' 'nm concern Be it knownthat I, EUGENE J. RAY, acitizen of the United States, residing at Beverly, in the county ofEssex and State of l\lassachusetts, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Sewing Ma- 'hincs; and I do hereby declare the follow mgto be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such aswill enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make anduse the same.

The invention relates to mechanism for actuating stitch-forming devicesof sewing machines.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple and etficientmechanism which may be operated at high speed without strain or materialWear on the parts and which is well adapted for securing a comparativelywide variation in the rates of move' ment of a needle during successivehalf revolutions of the driving shaft for the stitch-forming mechanism.

To this end a variable or differential movement is transmitted from auniformly rotating crank to a needle carrier of a stitch-formingmechanism through a lever having a shiftable fulcrum and connected atone end to the needle carrier and at the other end to the crank so thatduring its rotationthe crank will shift the lever endwise while rockingit about its fulcrum. These parts may be readily so proportioned andarranged that comparatively little movement will be transmitted to theneedle during a half revolution of the crank and a comparatively rapidmovement during the succeeding half revolution.

While the invention is of general application it may be utilized withparticular advantage in buttonhole sewing machines in which thestitch-forming mechanism comprises an upper needle, a looper which takesa. loop of upper needle thread below the work and an under needle whichcarries a loop of its thread up through the loop held by the looper andinto posit-ion above the work for the passage down therethrough of theupper needle. The mechanism outlined above may be utilized toreciprocate either needle and to properly time it with the other needleand in the accompanying drawings a construction is shown in which thismechanism is utilized to reciprocate-the upper needle.

The drawing shows a vertical, sectional elevation of so much of abuttonhole sewing machine as is necessary to illustrate the applicationof the present invention thereto.

This application is a continuationof ap plication No. 187,194, filedAugust 20, 1917,

Patent No. 1,492,084, dated April 29, 1924, which shows and describes amachine to which the invention has been applied.

The machine indicated in the drawings comprises, in general, a cutterfor cutting the buttonhole slit, a travelling work clamp, indicated at2, which is movable lengthwise and laterally of the buttonhole, and astitch-forming mechanism which is rotated during the sewing about theeye and about the'bar end of thebuttonhole. The stitchforming mechanismcomprises a straight eye-pointed upper needle 4, which is arranged topenetrate the work a short distance from the. edge of the buttonholeslit, a curved eye-pointed under needle 6, which is arranged to pass upthrough the buttonhole slit and which, at the upper end of its stroke,is dipped to throw out a loop down through which the upper needle passesand a looper 8 arranged below the work and operating to take a loop ofupper needle thread and carry it into such position that the underneedle will pass up through it during its up stroke.

The upper needle is secured in the lower end of a hollow needle bar 10,which is mounted to reciprocate through a stationary upper bearing 12and through a rotary head 14, with which the bar is so connected that itwill rotate with the head while being free to reciprocate therethrough.Thencedle bar is reciprocated by a crank 16 formed on the uniformlyrotating driving shaft 18 and engaging the rear end of a lever 20, theforward end of which is connected by link 22 with a-sleeve 24 on theneedle bar. The sleeve is confined between collars 26, which may beadjusted to determine the path of reciprocation of the needle. The lever20 is fulcrumed at 28 on a link 30, which is free to swing about a shaft32 as the lever is oscillated by the crank 16. The under needle isreciprocated by a second crank 84, which engages the upper end of a link36,

dips the under needle and is also connected to operate the looper, asfully shown and describedin Patent No. 1,134,046, to G. S.

Hill, dated March 30, 1915. r

The crank 34 is so arranged that during the first half revolution of theshaft 18the under needle will be advanced and dipped to throw out itsloop of under-thread, while the crank 16 and links 22 and are so arraned and proportioned that during this hal revolution of the shaft thefulcrum 28 will swing downward and then upward with the downward andupward movements of the crank as it rocks the lever and moves itlengthwise, thus giving the forward end of the lever a path of movementwhich is approximately in an are described about the lower end of thelink 22 as'a center. Only a slight vertical movement is, therefore,transmitted to the upper; needle during the first half revolution of thecrankshaft, which completes the upward stroke and dipping of the underneedle. During the second half revolution of the shaft the upper needleis rapidly moved down through the loop presented by the under needleandthrough the work and is returned to its initial upper position whiletheunder needle is returned to its retracted initial position and thelooper is operated to take a loop of upper needle thread from the upperneedle and carry it into position above the under needle. The needlesare thus operated from the uniformly rotating cranks through simple andeasily moving connections, which properly and accurately time theirrelative movements and consequently the stitch-forming mechanism may beoperated at a high rate of speed and may be brought to rest at thecompletion of the sewing operation without strain or undue wear upon theparts.

lVhile it is preferred to employ the specific construction andarrangement of parts shown and described in embodying the invention in astitch-forming mechanism of the character shown it will be understoodthat this construction and arrangement is not essential and may bevaried or modified as found desirable or best suited to the type ofstitch-forming mechanism in which the invention is to be embodied.

What is claimed is:

1. A stitch forming mechanism having, in combination, a needle carrier,a lever, a link having one end pivoted to one end of the lever and theother end pivoted to the carrier for: oscillating the carrier in unisonwith the end of the lever, a crank engaging the other end of the lever,and a shlftable fulcrum for the lever.

2. A sewing machine having in combina tion, astitch-forming mechanismcomprismg a vertically reciprocating upper needle carrier, an underneedle and looper, a substantially horizontal needle carrieractuatinglever, a swinging link on which the lever is fulcrumed, a crankacting on the rear end of the lever, and a link connecting the forwardend of the lever with the carrier.

3. A .stitch forming mechanism having,

in combination, a reciprocating needle carrier, a lever arrangedsubstantially at right angles to the needle carrier, a shiftable fulcrumfor the lever, a crank engaging one end of the lever, and aeonneetion'between the other end of the lever and the needle carrier fortransmitting to the carrier endwise movements corresponding to thesidewise movements of this end ofthe lever.

4. A stitch forming mechanism having, in combination, a vertically.reciprocating needle bar, a substantially horizontal lever,

a crank engaging one end of the lever, a linkconnecting the other end ofthe lever to the needle bar to transmit to the needle bar verticalmovements corresponding to the vertical movements of this end of thelever, and a pivoted link on which the {lever is iulcrumed.

5. A stitch forming mechanism having, in combination, a lever, aneedlecarrier, a

connection between one end "of the lever and carrier through whichsidewise movement of the end of the lever in one directlon ad vances thecarrier and sldewlse movement of the lever in the other directionretracts the carrier, a crank engaging the other end of the lover, afulcrum for the lever mounted to move with the lever in a direction toreduce the movement transmitted from the crank to the needle carrierduring one half revolution of the crank and to increase such movementduring the succeeding half' EUGENE J RAY.

